Isn’t it already illegal to cover your face from above the nose downward in NC? I went there on a business trip a couple years before COVID, and wore a respirator while outside. A cop stopped me and told me that it’s against statute to cover my face in public places. I explained to him that I’m not from there and pollen in that state, at least in Charlotte, was horrific. He was understanding, but highly recommend I find another way. I thanked him and we parted ways. I was leaving the next day, so I didn’t find another way.

This article makes it sound that they’re not going to make it illegal, since it already is, but are, instead, going to make it a higher crime if you commit one while wearing a mask. What I’m gathering, is basically “wear one if you want. But if you commit a misdemeanor while wearing one, it’ll be a felony” (or however the scales increase). Did I misunderstand?

Yeah Lemmy is just really left and uninformed, mask prohibitions have existed in almost every state way before covid (talking 17-1800s) for exactly this reason. And frankly, even in NYC, outside of say health settings, the only people I see wearing masks are those who are actively trying to not be identified, and sometimes it nothing like yourself but more than likely theres a reason they don’t want to be identified and its rarely good.